Starting a local Writers’ Group

I’d never been a member of a Writers’ Group, though some of my writing friends are long term enthusiasts. So I’m not sure why in the autumn of 2024 I had the notion to get such a group started in my home parish.

Kirkmahoe is a small, rural community in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, made up of three villages and some outlying farms and homes. It comprises about 2,800 people in all. Having lived here permanently for 16 years, I knew one or two people locally with an interest in writing. But when I asked around, I soon found Kirkmahoe to be home to a good handful of fellow scribblers: variously writing poetry, fantasy and crime novels, historical fiction and memoir.

When approached, this clutch of local writers needed little persuasion to become inaugural members of The Kirkmahoe Writers’ Group, and one late afternoon in October 2024, we duly met for the first time to get to know one another. We were fortunate from the start to have an excellent place for our meetings. From the outset, Emma Pagan, proprietor of the Blumen cafe and floristry in Dalswinton has kindly made her premises available to us after hours, with use of the kitchen and always with a few traybakes for us to enjoy. A huge shout-out to Emma for being our sponsor in this way, it is much appreciated.

We began our first meeting with mutual introductions, telling our writing stories, sharing experiences of writing for publication and the complex landscape of the publishing industry. We talked about self-publishing, blogging and involvement with other writing groups. From the get-go someone had a recent piece to try out on the others and we learned to deftly navigate the process of giving feedback in a small group setting.

Meeting for just one hour each month, we have settled into a pattern of ‘updates’ and ‘new work’. We circulate a short email after each meeting to keep those unable to attend in the picture, and we also have a Facebook page.

Quite quickly we started thinking of events we might hold. Some members already had experience of creative writing projects in our local primary school. Another had links at Threave, a nearby property of the National Trust for Scotland, where this year at an open day she organised a ‘meet the authors’ event with bookstall and al fresco readings.

Beyond these, we had a bigger idea for a free village hall event that would run over a full day. We soon named it Kirkmahoe Writes! The planning process was agreeble and simple. We booked the hall and set about creating a programme we thought would interest people across the generations. We were delighted when our application to cover costs was very favourably received by the Kirkmahoe Community Council, which supported us generously from its Wind Farm fund. A local teenager was then commissioned to design an event poster, to spread the word.

The big day was 31st May 2025. The hall looked splendid, laid out cabaret style and with a substantial bookstall, largely of our own authors’ works. Free refreshments were available throughout the day, with soup at lunchtime. Earlier in the week members of the group had led a session with local primary school pupils, on creatures of the rain forest. The young people were then invited to join us at Kirkmahoe Writes! where they wrote new, creative pieces about the rain forest – or simply wrote about something else of interest. At the end of the session, as more people arrived, the youngsters, with great confidence, read out their compositions to an appreciative audience.

Next on the programme came a structured poetry writing workshop, using photographic images as prompts. The buzz around the table was palpable and some fully worked up drafts were created within an hour.

Over an extended lunch period, we ran a rich and varied open mic session. Book-ended by two slots from singer-songwriters, these contributors brought an added dimension to the day by talking about the song writing process and the stories within their songs. Poems from the morning workshop got a first public airing. There were also short stories and pieces of memoir. Humour made several appearances – from dark to wry. In total, 11 people took part in what was a highly enjoyable, varied and at times deeply touching session.

Next up was a panel of writers from the Kirkmahoe group, deftly chaired by one of our members. We discussed motivations for writing, aids, triggers and sources of inspiration. We explored the differing approaches of ‘pantsers’ and ‘plotters’ in the writing process and the inter-relations between people, place and plot in a narrative. The discussion was excellent with lots of people joining in.

The day ended on a glorious high with a full performance by our invited guest, Alan McClure. A poet, novelist and songwriter, Alan is based in Galloway and this year he is the appointed Scriever of the Federation of Writers (Scotland). Entertaining, self-deprecating and with enormous emotional intelligence, Alan took us through many of the aspects of why we write and how our writing might be received.

Our first all-day event was attended by around 35 participants and received very positive feedback. What better than: “I enjoyed every moment”! Our niche offering, delivered in a rural area, had much to commend it and also brought two new members to our group. The following week, back in Blumen, we reviewed what had been achieved, and sketched out ideas for future activities. Over the autumn and winter we are considering a series of themed workshops, each a couple of hours in length. Song writing is a theme high on the list of possibilities.

A long-standing resident of the parish told me she could “never imagine that Kirkmahoe would have a writers’ group”. It seems to me that such a group can have benefits not only for those who meet each month under its banner. It can also be a contribution to the life of the community – touching people of all ages and offering opportunities to take part in activities that demonstrate the pleasures and possibilities of writing, in whatever form they may choose or feel inspired by.

So on reflection, I’m rather pleased that, better late than never, I have finally got involved in a local group of variously minded writers – with all it has to offer. Watch this space for more reports on our activities.

Acknowledgements Members of the Kirkmahoe Writers’ Group include: Irene Paterson, Sarah Burchett-Cook, Stephen Burchett, Stephen Pagan, David Clark, David Neilson, Ann Bloxwich and Leila Cameron. For more details about the group, please email: david.graham.clark53@gmail.com or speak to one of the above. And thanks again to Blumen and to the Kirkmahoe Community Council.